The town of
Gebtu was the capital of the 5th Upper Egyptian nome. The town's
importance was because of its geographical location : it was here that the
trading expeditions set off for the Red Sea coast. Many mining expeditions
into the eastern desert also left from here. Gebtu soon became the most
important religious centre of the area. The god Min, the local
deity, was also adopted as the god of the desert region to the east. Isis
and Horus also became important, especially during the Graeco-Roman
period; one of the reasons for this was the interpretation of the two
falcons of the Herui nome standard as Horus and Min.

Monuments
discovered at Gebtu cover the whole period of Egyptian history. The
largely undecorated temple of Min in the north, which still stands, was
the work of an official called Sennuu, on behalf of Ptolemy II
Philadelphus, with some later additions by Ptolemy Philopater, Caligula
and Nero. The temple stands on the site of earlier structures .

The
site of the Middle Temple also has a long history. A gate of Tutmosis III
was found, plus a set of stelae dating to the 6th and 7th dynasties, with
copies of royal decrees concerning the temple and its personnel. The
Middle Temple itself was built by Ptolemy II Philadelphus. At the Southern
Temple, gates by Claudius and Caligula; and a chapel of Cleopatra VII
Philopator and Ptolemy XV Caesarion were found. Claudius built a small
temple to Min, Isis and Horus to the northeast of the
city..